A court in India has sentenced nearly three dozen foreign and local sailors to five years in prison for illegally carrying weapons aboard a US-operated vessel into the Indian territorial waters.
The group of sailors comprises six Britons, three Ukrainians, 14 Estonians and 12 Indians.
Judge N Rajasekar issued the sentence on Monday at the court in the southern city of Tuticorn, Tamil Nadu State. In addition to the jail sentence, the judge fined each of the individuals 3,000 rupees (USD 45).
The judge found the crew guilty of illegally entering Indian waters without a visa and carrying weapons.
According to the prosecutor in the case, S Chandrasekar, the crew can appeal the conviction. The convicted crew members can approach the Madras High Court within 30 days for appealing against the verdict.
Reacting to the developments, Arumugaram Ravipandian, a lawyer representing all the 35, said the verdict was unfair. This judgment is totally unfair and a great injustice to the accused.
Meanwhile, US maritime security firm AdvanFort, which owns the Seaman Guard Ohio vessel, denies the charges against its crew, saying all firearms on board were properly registered.
The British High Commission in the Indian capital, New Delhi, said it would continue to provide consular assistance to all six of its nationals but could not meddle in another countrys judicial process.
Our staff in India and the UK have been in close contact with all six men since their arrest to provide support to them and their families, including attending court, it said in a statement, adding, Ministers have also raised this case at the highest levels, pressing for delays to be resolved.
In October 2013, Indias coast guard intercepted the ship off the coast of Tuticorin and detained and charged the crew. Indian security sources said that the crew had failed to provide the proper paperwork to carry weapons in Indian waters.
Almost all of the crew members, who spent nine months in prison after the incident, were given bail in 2014 on the grounds they remained in the state capital, Chennai. However, the captain, a Ukrainian, and another officer from Britain were refused bail and remained in jail.
An Indian court quashed charges laid against the crew in July 2014, but the Supreme Court overturned that ruling the following year and ordered their trial.
The southern tip of India is close to major trading routes from Asia to Europe and several cargo ships have armed guards to deter pirates. Action by the Indian authorities in the past has led to diplomatic rows in similar cases.
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